Meet Felipe, Data Scientist

Hi, my name is…

…Felipe. I am originally from Medellin, Colombia, where I studied to be a veterinarian. I decided to move into research, which brought me to Europe 14 years ago. My journey started in Finland, where I began my studies in epidemiology, and continued in Germany, where I obtained my degree at the University of Heidelberg. After working in academia for several years in cancer research and conducting epidemiology studies, I decided to make an important step in my career by moving to the pharmaceutical industry. I joined Roche in 2015 as a data scientist in the Personalised Healthcare Team (PHC), where I have had the opportunity to further advance my career. My job has not only helped me to develop my skills as an epidemiologist but also to improve in many important soft skills that are critical for work in industry. I enjoy spending my free time with friends and family, mountain biking and playing the drums.

In a typical day at work…

…as a data scientist, I regularly interact with different cross-functional teams to identify opportunities where we can use real-world data to support our global portfolio. I occasionally start my day by participating in a meeting with Roche colleagues located across the globe and then work from the office together with an external principal investigator from the university. I also contribute to setting up a registry using hospital data, or plan and conduct analyses for observational studies.

The location I am working at is…

…in Basel. I live in Germany and love working in Basel because I can easily commute by bike from home to work. At the same time, I have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits a multicultural city like Basel offers while being close to nature.

At work, we have implemented a very flexible working model that allows me to work in different buildings, giving me the freedom and opportunity to organise my meetings better and improve my interactions with colleagues.

My work helps Roche to…

…make a direct contribution to bringing novel treatments to patients, while I learn more each day about a particular disease area, advanced epidemiological methods and the use of different types of data sources. This is a very exciting time for me in my role as a data scientist at Roche because I can be directly involved in our strategy to be the pharma leader in PHC.

Roche as an employer is…

…multicultural. The environment and the global aspect is really inspiring and helps me expand my knowledge and my network. Even though we are ultimately responsible for our own career development, Roche is very supportive and provides many tools and programmes to help us learn new skills and pursue next career steps.

Roche’s culture and values allow employees to work in a pleasant environment of trust and empowerment, encouraging us to do our best. Employees’ contributions are valued and rewarded, which creates a climate of respect.

What advice would you give a new colleague joining your department?

Be curious about new methods and approaches to answering questions, and ask others for advice. If you want to be successful it’s very important to be the leader of your projects.

How would you describe working at Roche in three words?

Learning each day!

Interested in learning more about our new programme in Personalised Healthcare? Click here for further information.

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